High Stakes
by Lift the Wings
Summary: Kennedie Altsman is newest member of the team, hired in the midst of a search for her missing uncle. What was thought to be an average missing person case turns into something more and Kennedie may be in danger. Can Booth be of help? Of course! Booth/OC!
1. MIA and Interviews

Okay, since Bones is my new favorite show and I am in love with David Boreanaz, I'm going to do something scandalous. I'm going to write a Booth/OC story. GASP!!!! I know, right? But I think he needs someone a little… different from Brennan… anywho, let's get this show on the road. Please don't kill me!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones! If I did, I would own David Boreanaz, which would make my LIFE!

_Chapter One: MIA and Interviews_

I paced the floor of my apartment's kitchen. It wasn't the fanciest, most well-furnished apartment, but the comforting blue walls and white linoleum floor worked just fine.

"Okay, he's got to be missing," I said to myself, "he went on a trip without telling anyone, or he got drunk and is staying with a friend…" I was in denial, but it was better than the other scenarios my creative mind was coming up with.

Suddenly, the phone rang, causing me to jump. Heart racing, I ran to the phone, hoping it was my wayward uncle Brandon. I picked up the slim white phone, inquiring frantically, "Hello?"

"Dr. Altsman?"

_Shoot,_ I thought, heaving a heavy sigh and sitting on the couch. No one had seen Uncle Brandon for a few days and – despite the missing person's report – nothing had come up yet.

"Yes, I'm Dr. Altsman," I answered, raising an eyebrow in confusion. I knew nobody from the police department would call _me_ about Uncle Brandon, they would most likely call one of my cousins or my parents.

"Hello, this is Dr. Camille Saroyan, from the Jeffersonian Institute," the woman on the other end answered, "I was looking over the resume you sent in last week."

"Oh!" I sat up straighter in my chair and held back a shriek of delight – I had wanted to work at the Jeffersonian Institute for the longest time!; "and?"

"I would like you to come in for an interview, within the next few days if that's possible," Dr. Saroyan answered, "if there's a certain time that you would prefer to hold the meeting, that's fine, as long as we aren't working on a case."

Fortunately for this Dr. Saroyan, she couldn't see the happy dance I was doing through the living room. It was a mixture of everything from Irish stepping to headbanging. I caught myself and replied, "Thank you so much, Dr. Saroyan! Anytime within the next week will be fine."

"All right, come in on Thursday at noon," she replied, "ask for either myself or Dr. Temperance Brennan."

"Thank you!" I exclaimed excitedly, "I'll see you on Thursday!" I hung up the phone and squealed with joy. I quickly dialed up my mother and informed her all about the interview. She couldn't have been happier, and when I asked about Uncle Brandon, there was still nothing new.

I couldn't help but feel as though something was terribly wrong; that something bad had happened to him and I wasn't sure I wanted to know what that was.

BOOTHBOOTHBOOTHBOOTH

I sat in Dr. Saroyan's empty office, waiting for the doctors who were conducting the interview to arrive. I fidgeted in my seat, hoping I would get the job. I was wearing tiny black pumps, a black pencil skirt, and a nice red top. But, to put a little bit of flair into my outfit, I had large, red hoop earrings and matching bangles. My usually wayward shoulder-length chestnut-auburn hair was curled perfectly and my mother had forced herself into my apartment to do my makeup. Even though I was twenty-seven, I knew I that my height made me look younger. I was only five feet tall, after all, and at first glance, I'm sure people thought I was just a teenager.

Suddenly, the door burst open and I spun around. There, a tall handsome man with short chocolate hair, matching, puppy dog eyes, and slight stubble stood, staring at his files, claiming, "Hey, Cam, headquarters just sent this down… and…," he looked up, his brow furrowed adorably, "you're… not Cam."

"No, I'm not," I replied; _Smooth, Kennie, __**reaaally **__smooth!_ I thought, flushing. I turned in my seat to get a better look at the muscular man before me, "I'm here for an interview with Dr. Soroyan and Dr. Brennan." There; that sounded better.

"Oh," he leaned against the doorway closing the folder, "are you a squint, too, then?" He was smirking slightly and it was all I could do to keep from staring. I'm pretty sure there was a huge smile on my face, though.

"A squint?" I repeated, confused.

"Are you going to work in the lab, with the rest of the team?" he inquired, "I call them squints in there; sorry, just an inside joke I guess."

I laughed slightly, replying, "Then I guess I would be a squint." I stood, realizing he was a good foot taller than me and smiled, "I'm Kennedie Altsman."

He pushed himself off of the doorway and approached me, grinning, "Special Agent Seeley Booth, FBI."

_Oh, that just made him ten times more attractive_, I thought, smiling inwardly, _not that he isn't because he __**definitely**__is!_

He took my small hand in his large rough one and shook it, smiling slightly.

"Oh, Seeley, I see you've met Dr. Altsman."

We turned and a woman not much taller than me was standing with another, taller woman behind her. They were both smirking slightly, as Agent Booth and I still hadn't let go of each other's hand. When we realized this, we instantly let go.

Agent Booth mumbled an apology, cleared his throat, and turned to the women, "Cam, I'll just leave this with you." He handed her the folder and cast a glance back at me, a slight smile playing on his lips, "Good luck."

"Thanks," I smiled, biting my lip and watching him walk out. I looked back over at the women, who were laughing slightly to themselves.

"He has a nice butt, doesn't he?" the shorter woman smiled when I nodded, blushing – of course I checked him out on the way out and yes, he had a very nice butt, "I'm Dr. Saroyan and this is Dr. Brennan. Please, have a seat, Dr. Altsman."

I followed their lead and we all sat around Dr. Saroyan's desk, "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise," Saroyan replied, "so, on your résumé, it says you have several degrees; history, literature, criminal psychology, _and_ forensics. That's pretty impressive."

"Thank you," I replied, "I was pretty driven and I couldn't settle with one major. I realize that the literature degree wouldn't do a lot of good, or the history one. But I know you work on cases that forensics and criminal psychology would be useful in."

"History and literature degrees are good to have," Brennan stated matter-of-factly, "it makes an individual more intelligent and well respected by his or her peers."

I nodded slightly, glad that someone understood my want for four degrees. And some of the things were interrelated, which just increased my interest in the subjects.

"And you used to work at the Museum of Natural History in New York," Saroyan stated, "what happened there?"

"I did work there, a few months ago, actually," I answered with a sigh, "apparently, they didn't need anymore exhibits designed; that's what I did there. And they found that I was too _overqualified_ to work there. I never thought I would hear something like that."

"Well, trust me, you aren't overqualified to work here," Saroyan answered, "someone with your skills in various fields would be welcomed. Dr. Brennan and I have looked over your records and Agent Booth has looked at all of our applicants' backgrounds." She looked at Brennan questioningly. Brennan nodded and they both smiled at me.

"Congratulations, Dr. Altsman," Saroyan stood, "you're now part of the Jeffersonian Institute. You'll be doing criminal profiles, maybe go along to some of the interrogations, and help out in the lab."

I smiled happily and shook their hands, "Thank you so much! This is perfect; I've always wanted to work here!"

"You're welcome," Saroyan said, "now, let's go introduce you to the rest of the team." We all headed to the door and I wanted to skip for joy. I was now going to be working with one of the best teams in the United States on cases I would actually _want_ to work on!

"The squints, you mean?" I inquired with a laugh.

"He's gotten to you already," Saroyan stated with a laugh, "well, he does that to people."

He _definitely_ got to me already. Now that the stress of the interview was over, my mind drifted back to the handsome FBI agent I encountered. If I got to work with him everyday, that was a definite perk!

"I don't see what's so amusing about Booth calling us all squints," Brennan said, frowning, "it's derogatory and insulting."

"Don't get so offended, Brennan," Saroyan stated, "he calls you Bones, so squints shouldn't be hurtful at all."

"Bones?" I inquired, "because you work with skeletal remains a lot?" I had to admit, it was pretty clever of him and I had to bite back a laugh.

She just nodded and we entered the lab. There, around the lab table, were three men – including, I noticed with a smile, Agent Booth – and a woman talking about something. Well, three were laughing and the other just watched them interact.

"Guys, I'm glad you're all here," Saroyan announced as we approached, "I want you all to meet our newest member, Dr. Kennedie Altsman. Dr. Altsman, this is Dr. Jack Hodgins, Dr. Zach Addy, and Angela Montenegro. You already know Agent Booth."

He and I exchanged smiles and I turned to the others. Jack, or Hodgins as he told me to call him, was very friendly and seemed to be the laidback goofball of the group. Angela was probably the nicest person alive and very cheerful. Zach was awkwardly adorable, telling me how he wasn't very good with people so he apologized in advance.

"Welcome to the team, Kennedie," Agent Booth smiled. I smiled, my face heating up. Yeah, he had _definitely _gotten to me already.

_**Please review!! Thanks!! And don't shoot me just because I split up Booth and Brennan!!**_


	2. Chit Chats

Disclaimer: I do not own the show Bones, because there are definitely some things that would have to be changed!! I would also own Booth and Zack, which would be freaking amazing!!

This is set in about season 2-3ish so the whole Gorgomon thing and everything after that never happened. Haha!!

PS: I had THREE dreams about Booth in ONE night! How lucky am I?!?!?

Chapter Two: Chit Chats

"_Welcome to the team, Kennedie," Agent Booth smiled. I smiled, my face heating up. Yeah, he had _definitely _gotten to me already._

The next morning, I was sitting in the research lab, getting myself familiarized with the equipment I would be working with. The computers and monitors were simple enough to handle, but there were several databases that would require a little bit of thought before I learned how to work them properly. I was humming to myself – I had gotten _Sober_ by Pink stuck in my head. I guess that was the risk of listening to my MP3 player on shuffle on the way to work. At least it wasn't _Part of Your World_ from _the Little Mermaid_ (cuz that was definitely on there).

I wasn't wearing my official "squints" lab coat yet, mainly because they didn't have a small enough size. I laughed to myself at that. So I had on a pair of black dressy pants and a royal blue baby doll shirt with tiny white wallabies on them; yes, wallabies. Or maybe they were kangaroos. I had an odd fashion sense, so sue me.

I was flipping through the files in a large filing cabinet, just memorizing the system. I heard the door open from across the room and I could hear Booth call out, "Hey; anyone in here?"

My heart leaping, I moved out from around the filing cabinet and smiled brightly, "I am, if that counts."

He headed over to where I was, a grin in place on his amazingly handsome face. He was wearing a tie with, amusingly enough, boomerangs on it. It was a royal blue and the boomerangs were white.

"It does," he answered, taking a seat on the large table beside the cabinet. He surveyed my outfit – causing me to flush slightly, smiling – and grinned, "Kangaroos?"

"I always thought they were wallabies, but I could be wrong," I laughed slightly, hopping up onto the table beside him. His feet brushed the ground, but my legs dangled a foot or so above it. "We almost match, Agent Booth," I smiled, flicking his tie slightly.

"Just Booth or Seeley," he replied with a smirk, "I knew I picked this tie for a reason." I smiled slightly, amused, as he continued, "So, did Cam and Bones send you in here on your first day? No cases or anything? Just boring filing work."

"Yep," I answered with a dramatic sigh, "leave it to me to get locked away in an empty room with just my mind to accompany me. I had my MP3 player, but it died a long time ago." I gestured to where it lay on the floor, several feet away. He raised an eyebrow and I sheepishly smiled, "I threw it when it died."

He grinned and replied, "How about I keep you company, then?"

Be still my heart! Of _course_ he could stay here with me! Did he even have to ask? I smiled, "I'd like that. But I think Saroyan and Brennan would be mad, seeing as I wouldn't be getting done what I needed to get done. All I have to do is look over the filing cabinets now; I did the rest of the memorization earlier. Not that there's anyway they could actually check up what I'm doing, unless they walked in…"

"Do you tend to ramble a lot, Kennedie?" he inquired with a laugh, that sexy smirk playing on his face.

I bit my lip, laughing self-consciously, enjoying how easily my name rolled off his tongue, "It happens…," usually it only happened when I was talking to very attractive men – hence the current rambling, "sorry; I guess that's one of my many flaws."

Booth grinned and laughed, "That's all right; happens to the best of us. So Bones tells me you have _four_ degrees. How old are you, twenty-three?"

"Twenty-seven," I replied defiantly, though the smile never left my face, "I couldn't decide on what I wanted to do with my life and, with four degrees, I would have a lot of opportunities to figure something out."

"Smart," he grinned, flipping the end of his tie as he spoke, causing the scent of his spicy, musky cologne drifting over to me. That was my new favorite scent for sure.

"Thanks," I smiled modestly, "and you? Being an FBI agent is pretty impressive." Impressive was right; the only thing better than picturing him in a suit was picturing him in some kind of uniform.

"Think so?" he inquired, seemingly surprised, but smiling, pleased, nonetheless, "thanks."

Suddenly, my phone vibrated and the ringtone – _Heartland_ by Celtic Thunder – went off. How embarrassing. He watched me as I flipped the phone open and read it.

_**Still no news. Love you, honey. Mom**_

"Shoot," I sighed, frowning and looking up at him apologetically, "sorry."

He shrugged, as if it didn't bother him, but instead inquired, concerned, "What happened? Something wrong?"

"Yeah," I answered with a slight sigh. I didn't really want to lay my burdens onto Booth - though, he was so good-looking that he could probably drag anything out of me.

"What happened?" he inquired, his brow furrowing. I held the phone out to him and he read it, raising his eyebrows in confusion. He looked back up at me with his gorgeous puppy dog eyes and inquired, "News about what?"

"My uncle," I answered, "he's been missing for the last few days. My mom likes to send me these updates, but she doesn't realize that every time the phone goes off, I think it's someone saying he _has_ been found. It really gets my hopes up."

"Are you close to your uncle?" he inquired with a sympathetic frown.

"Yeah," I answered, "I haven't seen my dad for a long time, so Uncle Brandon kind of became like a surrogate father to me."

"How long has he been missing?" he inquired, touching my arm in a comforting manner. Goosebumps ran up my arms from his fingers on my bare skin. I smiled slightly, grateful for his care.

"The last four days," I answered with a sigh, "sometimes he goes out with his friends or on trips without telling anyone when he leaves. But he always calls after a day or so, letting us know where he is. I just can't understand why he hasn't answered… unless, of course, something's happened to him." I didn't really want to think of that as an option, but I knew it was becoming the most likely scenario.

"Your family filed a missing person's report, right?" he inquired, his hand still holding my upper arm.

I nodded, "I told them to. It's just… not like my uncle to do something like this without letting us know. I'm just worried that… maybe he's hurt or worse, somewhere, and I can't think of where that might be." I bit my lip, trying to get those stupid scenarios out of my head. My stupid overactive imagination led to endless possibilities and it was really hard to stop them.

"Hard as it is, you can't think like that," Booth stated, his voice so low that the gravelly quality to it was more pronounced. My heart skipped a beat, I think, and he continued, "You just have to believe that he's all right. The police will find him eventually."

"That's what I'm afraid of," I answered honestly, "the police will find him and it won't end up well." I blinked back a tear or two and laughed, "I'm sorry; I shouldn't be blathering on about my problems. I'm sure you have plenty of things to worry about." I flicked the end of his tie again, avoiding his gaze.

He tilted my head up, his finger on my chin, and stated firmly, "No; I'm glad you told me. It's good to share these things." I smiled slightly, biting my lip and whispering, "Thanks."

He grinned cockily, "No problem." Suddenly, his cell phone went off and he let go of my face – which was oddly disappointing – and answered, completely professionally, "Booth… yeah… you got it … I'll be down there in a while…" He hung up the phone without a good-bye and stood up, smiling slightly down at me, "Sorry to just run off. I've got to go pick up my son."

I'm sure my eyes widened and I wouldn't have been surprised if my jaw dropped. Son? He was _married?!_ I nodded mechanically, smiling forcibly, as he waved and headed out of the room.

"Great, just great," I moaned, jumping off of the table, "I _would_ be completely interested in a married man. That is _so _like my luck." I trudged over to the filing cabinet and opened it, continuing with my search, "I mean; of course. How could a guy like that _not_ be taken? I should have figured…"

"They say talking to yourself is the first sign of madness."

I turned and saw Zack standing hesitantly in the doorway. I smiled slightly – Zack reminded me of my little brother, who was also very smart and not great in social situations, "Hey, Zack."

"I don't know why they say that – there are many more logical reasons for madness; not just speaking to oneself," he continued, entering the room a little further, "is that some saying? I'm not very good with those."

"You used it perfectly well in this case," I smiled, flicking through the files, "and I always talk to myself; it's a habit, I guess."

He gave me a tiny smile and held out a folder to me; "Dr. Saroyan wanted me to give you this – it's a list of suspects for our latest case. The case description is in there. She wants you to look for motives and means."

"Thanks, Zack," I smiled, accepting the folder, "finally, something to actually do besides memorizing these things." I gestured to the filing cabinet.

He nodded, a contemplative look on his face, "It was the least interesting thing I had to do while I was here, as well."

I glanced at the file and smiled excitedly, "But this should be pretty interesting."

Zack nodded, shrugging, "I don't like psychology. I have to get back to the lab, Dr. Altsman."

"Call me Kennedie, Zack," I smiled as he walked back to the door. He nodded slightly, before hesitating again, "I presume you were talking about Agent Booth earlier. If that means you were interested in him sexually; he's 'available'. He does have a son, but he isn't married and I don't think he has a partner… he doesn't usually talk to me about these things…"

By now I was blushing terribly, "Thanks, Zack. You've been very helpful; I appreciate it." He smiled slightly and I continued, "Could you please not tell anyone that we had this little conversation?"

Zack smiled again, replying, "I don't tell anyone anything unless they ask directly."

"Thank you, Zack," I smiled, "you're my new hero." He gave me an odd look and headed out of the room.

I did a happy dance – Booth was single.

_**Please review! I hope you all liked it! I found it a bit angsty but if my uncle were missing, I would be upset too! **_

_**EMBER91: **__Thanks!! I'm glad you like it and yes, he is definitely a hottie!! I'm glad you like my writing! I don't think you were fawning too much lol. I appreciate the fact that you enjoy my writing! :D ; __**witchbaby300: **__Well thank you! I'm glad you like it even though you don't watch it too much! I appreciate it!; __**4everyoursx:**__ Thanks!! I love Booth too! He's so sexy! Glad you like it so far!; __**Young Grasshopper:**__ Thanks! Glad you're enjoying it so far and that you find it refreshing!; __**Ms. Lori Reznor:**__ I prefer OC stories too! I'm glad you like it so far!; __**Sadie: **__I know, I love Booth. I definitely want his sexy bod lol!!!! Glad you like it so far!!!! :D _


	3. Progress and Packages

Chapter Three: Progress

"_Thank you, Zack," I smiled, "you're my new hero." He gave me an odd look and headed out of the room._

_I did a happy dance – Booth was single._

My happy dance in the empty research lab and the revelation that Booth was single had been about a week ago. Work at the Jeffersonian was pretty interesting. I think, aside from Booth, of course – I got along the best with Zack. Surprising, I know, seeing as Cam had informed me in shock that he didn't really get along with _anyone_, but I went out of my way to make him feel comfortable.

And Booth, well, let's just say he and I got along _very _well. Every time I was near Booth or when he and I stopped what we were doing to talk, Angela would smile and nudge Hodgins, who in turn would smirk. I promptly ignored them, returning to smiling or giggling at whatever Booth had just said.

I stared at the folder in my hands – it was the one Zack had brought me the week before. There was a list of suspects for the most recent murder, which was of a twenty-eight year old amateur tennis player named Justin Warner. There were a lot of people connected with him, but before I came, the team acquired a list of the closest people to him. Now I just had to study their personalities and the way in which the Warner was murdered and see what kind of connection I could make.

I had narrowed the list of twelve down to four. And it was the four closest people to him; his trainer, his trophy wife, his best friend, and his rival. Apparently, the rest of the squints were collecting more evidence, so I could help them narrow it down even more.

The best friend, Jeffrey Anderson, seemed the most likely of the four to be the one who committed the crime. Apparently, when he was a child, he had the disturbing habit of ripping bugs and smaller animals to pieces. That mortified Hodgins (he couldn't understand how someone could destroy a beautiful creature like a beetle), but that didn't exactly mean that he was a murderer. It was just suspicious and disturbing.

But, as I tried to concentrate on the folder, my mind drifted to my uncle. Still no word from him. The search was on back home in North Carolina and it took all my will-power to remain in Washington and not go searching for him. I bit my lip nervously and wondered what was going on, what had happened.

"Still no news?"

I felt my face heat up and my heart skipped a beat or two as I looked up at Booth, who had entered my small office, leaning against the doorway. I smiled slightly at him and the way he was casually yet sexily leaning against the frame, staring at me.

"No," I answered with a sigh, setting the folder down, "I really wish I knew what was going on. I can't stop thinking about all of the possibilities."

"I noticed," he stated, entering my office and sitting down across from me, relaxing and throwing his feet up on my desk. I just looked at his shoes, rolled my eyes slightly, and tilted my head to the side.

He matched my move and I inquired, amused at his adorable actions, "How long were you standing in the doorway?"

"A few minutes," he replied, a small, concerned frown on his face, "you okay, Kennedie? I mean, really – I can tell when you're lying to me."

I looked up at him, perplexed, raising a challenging eyebrow, smiling softly, "I've never lied to you, Booth."

He chuckled slightly, pointing at me, replying adamantly, "Oh yes you have; you told me that you liked pie more than brownies. Bad liar, Kennedie."

I rolled my eyes slightly, appreciating his attempts to cheer me up, "Well, I didn't want you to feel bad. I mean, I had just met you; why were you asking me about pie anyway?" I laughed, recalling the conversation we had had one afternoon about desserts.

"Because I love pie," he replied simply, smirking slightly, "anyway, I know you're sad and – to cheer you up, I'm going to take you for pie _and_ brownies after work. That way you won't have to choose which is even better." He leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head, a triumphant smirk on his face.

I stared at him, smiling slightly – that was very sweet of him; "You don't have to, Booth. You know we're going to get into a debate over pie and brownies if we go, even if we eat both of them." But jeez, I really wanted to go.

"I know I don't have to," Booth grinned, "I'll come find you at six, all right?" He wasn't leaving any room for discussion. Like I would actually refuse him anyway. I mean, I did before because I figured he was just being polite. But if he actually wanted to, I definitely wasn't going to refuse him anything.

"All right," I smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear and lifting the folder, "oh, I do have an idea about your case." I looked up at him and saw him lean forward, interested, the scent of his cologne drifting over to me.

I blinked, trying to clear my senses which he happened to invade and stated, praying my voice wasn't wavering with emotion, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure you should interview Anderson again. You said he had some disturbing artwork in his house? Well, he liked to rip the wings and limbs off of bugs and small rodents."

Booth blanched and gave me a weirded-out look, "Like mice?"

"Mice, moles, voles…," I stated, smiling slightly when he inquired, 'what's the difference between a mole and a vole?', "sometimes rabbits. Sounds a little fishy to me."

"A little more than fishy," he muttered, disgusted, taking the folder from me and standing, "I didn't think he was telling the truth but I wasn't sure. He seemed like a weirdo to me."

"You weren't sure if he was telling the truth?" I inquired, raising a teasing eyebrow, "I thought you said that you could tell when someone was lying about something?"

"No, just you," he replied with a sexy smirk, "with others I have to go with my gut instinct." He headed toward the door before stopping and sending me a grin, "Six o'clock."

"I'll be here," I smiled slightly, trying to hide my excitement. He chuckled to himself and headed out of my office. I looked at the clock – shoot; it was only noon.

BOOTHBOOTHBOOTHBOOTH

I was singing and dancing to _Everybody (Backstreet's Back) – _hey, the Backstreet Boys are still awesome – quietly as I headed down the hall, toward the lab. I spotted Hodgins and Zack standing around a lab table, arguing over something.

I smiled to myself – these two were the best of friends, that much was clear. I entered the room, announcing loudly, grandly, "I've come to grace you with my presence!"

Hodgins chuckled and Zack looked at me with the smallest of smiles.

"We're so grateful, Kennie," Hodgins laughed, waving me over to the table, "now we need you to figure something out for us. Brainiac over here," he rolled his eyes toward Zack, who just watched him, bemused, "thinks that this injury right here was made by a scimitar or a katana?"

I raised an eyebrow and looked at the injury on the unidentifiable corpse. I studied the wound but shook my head slightly, "A claymore."

"Whoa, how did you know that, Kennie?!" Hodgins inquired, shocked but smiling.

"Because I've watched _Braveheart _and _Rob Roy_," I answered with a laugh, "and I definitely know those are a lot bigger than katanas and scimitars. Anyway, did Booth and Brennan go interrogate the friend?"

Zack nodded slightly, before running out of the room. Hodgins and I exchanged a look, before Zack came back with a package in his hand, holding it out to me, "Here, Kennedie. This came for you earlier, but I didn't want to disturb you when you were profiling the suspects."

"Thanks, Zack," I smiled, setting the package on the nearest, unoccupied table. I tried to find a return address but there was none. I knew the writing, though, and my eyes widened. With a concerned, raised eyebrow, I opened the package.

"What is it?" Hodgins inquired interestedly, peering over my shoulder.

"Hodgins, that's rude – even I know that," Zack stated with a slight frown, though he tried to see what was in the box as well.

I took a handful of the dozens of pieces of paper that littered the box. I raised an eyebrow; most of them were account sheets, receipts, and things like that. I sifted through the pages, searching for something that would give me some idea of what it meant.

"Here, Kennedie," Zack stated, retrieving a handwritten letter near the bottom of the box, "what is all of this?"

"Yeah, did you go on a shopping spree or something?" Hodgins chuckled, picking up one of the receipts.

"No," I answered, reading the letter to myself.

_**Kennie, **_

_**If you're reading my letter, chances are I'm dead. I'm sending you this because you're the only smart enough to figure out what it means. Just know this, Kennie, my death wasn't an accident, or I never would have had any of this. You'll know what this means in due time – I promise that you'll get more information. But don't let it be known what you're doing or you could be in just as much danger as I was.**_

_**Stay safe and strong. Love, Uncle Brandon**_

I dropped the letter, my eyes welling up with tears. Hodgins looked from Zack, to me, to the letter, before picking it up and reading it over.

"Jeez, I'm sorry, Kennie," he stated quietly, somberly. Zack took the letter and frowned.

I fell into the chair at the desk, dropping my head into my hands, trying desperately to fight back the tears.

"What's going on?" I couldn't even look up at Booth when he furiously questioned Zack and Hodgins about my current state. I did look up in time to see Booth tapping his gun threateningly, asking the question again.

"It's Kennedie's uncle," Zack stated, holding his hands up innocently.

Booth looked down at me, forgetting about threatening to shoot Hodgins and Zack, and immediately lowered himself to my level, taking my hands in his. The caring, sympathetic look on his face made me burst into tears.

"He may not be dead, Kennedie," Brennan stated, looking up from the letter.

_**Yay! Chapter three! Please review and tell me what you think! :D I hope that wasn't too confusing; Kennedie's uncle sent her a package full of data and information that's going to lead to some big problems later on. Any questions just ask me… in a review!! lol**_

_**Young Grasshopper: **__Aww, I'm glad you liked it! I wish I was in her position too! Minus the uncle as well lol; __**crazycamera:**__ Thanks! I'm glad you like it, even though you're a BB fan lol. Oh, I have a Zack/OC story, if you're interestd in reading it; __**Sadie:**__ I'm glad you thought them matching was cute!! I thought it was lol. And I thought that would be a very Zackish thing to say lolol; __**witchbaby300:**__ Yeah, he does have a son, Parker, who's going to be showing up later. I don't think he'll disrupt their romance, but you never know lol!! Yeah, Brennan's a cool character, but I want Booth for myself lololol. I'm glad you liked it!; __**4everyoursx:**__ I'm glad you like it! I love Booth too!!!! :D Thanks!! _


	4. Change in Plans But not the Dessert Plan

Disclaimer: I do not own _Bones_. But you know what's annoying?? Every night that I work, I always miss one of the episodes I really want to see!! MEAN!!

Chapter Four: A Change of Plans (But Not the Dessert Plans)

_Booth looked down at me, forgetting about threatening to shoot Hodgins and Zack, and immediately lowered himself to my level, taking my hands in his. The caring, sympathetic look on his face made me burst into tears._

"_He may not be dead, Kennedie," Brennan stated, looking up from the letter._

"What do you mean?" I inquired immediately, "I mean, I know he said he's most likely dead… but you don't think he _is_, do you?" I felt hope welling up in my chest, looking up at Booth, my eyes glistening with tears.

His brow furrowed and he smiled softly, obviously not wanting to get my hopes up but wanting to offer me some sort of comfort.

"Well no, I don't," Brennan replied, looking at the note, "every line indicates that he is, except for the first. _'Chances are…'_. He may be alive."

Booth touched my knee and wiped a stray tear away, "Do you think he's alive?" I nodded and he grinned, causing my heart to leap erratically, "Then he must be."

"Yeah; I'm just being stupid," I wiped my eyes vigorously, completely embarrassed. Of course I had caught what Brennan had caught, but just the _thought_ of him being dead had been enough to send me into hysterics.

"What's going on in here?" Cam inquired, her eyebrows raised, looking from Zack – who still had his hands raised in surrender – and Hodgins, to Booth and I near the ground – me puffy-eyed and drying my eyes like a madwoman, and finally to Brennan with the letter and the box of information.

"It's just a letter Kennedie got," Booth answered, his deep chocolate eyes focused solely on mine, his voice quiet and more gravelly as he inquired to me, "Are you sure you're going to be all right?"

I nodded slightly, picking up his hand from my knee and squeezing it tightly. He smiled and squeezed it back, a slight jolt of electricity racing up my hand and through my entire body.

"Okaay, well, Seeley, Dr. Brennan, did you talk to the suspect?" Cam inquired, deciding that whatever happened wasn't going to be brought up in detail so she moved on.

"I miss everything," Angela announced, walking into the room and observing everything in disappointment. She headed over to Hodgins and kissed him, before whispering something to him.

"No, he didn't ask her… they hardly know each other, Ange," he replied, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

Angela looked disappointed and shrugged, "It's just a matter of time."

"Moving on," Cam announced, her patience wearing thin, "have you gone to talk to the suspect yet?"

Booth stood, removing his hand from mine – I immediately missed the warmth emanating from him, and moved around the chair, subtly resting his hand on my shoulder. I instantly felt better.

"We had just been coming to inform Kennedie that Booth's not working on this case anymore," Brennan answered, "I'm going to be going with Sully and check up on the suspect." She turned to me and stated, "I'll let you know if we find anything." With that, she left the room, leaving everyone staring at Booth, myself included.

"What?" he inquired, shoving his hands into his pockets, raising his eyebrows, moving around to the box, standing in front of it, blocking it from view, "I got switched to another case."

"Really?" Cam inquired, "why wasn't I informed about this? Where is it?" She was the kind of person who hated being uninformed and, even though she didn't run the FBI, I tended to think she forgot that fact.

"In North Carolina," he answered, his eyes flickered momentarily to me and I felt my heart well up with hope – where in North Carolina? Would it be possible for me to tag along? – as he continued, "missing person's report. I was wondering if I could bring a squint or two, seeing as we've been kind of slow on cases…"

Cam looked from Booth to me – I was practically bouncing in my seat – and back, now smirking, "Which squints?"

Booth flashed me a grin, before heading over to the door, "Let's go talk about this, Cam." They headed out of the room, but not before Cam had sent me a knowing look, casting her eyes at Booth pointedly.

I just blushed – did _everyone _know that I liked Booth?! Honestly, couldn't a girl get some privacy?

Hodgins and Angela looked at me with smirks, before Hodgins muttered something to her, grinning slyly. The two headed out of the room without a word, but Hodgins gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

Just Zack and I now, I gave him a small smile, inquiring, "Want to try and help me figure this out?" I nodded toward the box, picking the letter back up and stuffing it in my pocket with trembling fingers. If Booth was talking what I _hoped _he was talking about, he had to take me with him. If he was going to look for Uncle Brandon, I suspected he hadn't been removed from the current case, but opted to take on his. It was incredibly sweet of him.

Zack didn't say a word, but headed over to the box with me and we instantly began digging through it. Something I liked about Zack, if he felt awkward about a situation, he simply refused to talk about it. I knew he felt uncomfortable with my uncle's possible death and therefore just kept silent. I was grateful for that.

Booth returned within five minutes and Zack and I were only done sorting about one-fifth of the box. My head shot up as he stood in the doorway and without a word, I left Zack's side and walked up to him. He jerked his head toward the hall and I turned to Zack, who continued to methodically sort the data sheets.

"Zack, I'll be right back," I stated.

"All right, Kennedie," he replied, not even lifting his eyes from the pages as he studied them and decided which piles to put them in.

Booth grinned and took my elbow in his hand, leading me out of the lab and into the sparsely populated hallway. Leaning against the wall in that ever sexy way, he grinned triumphantly down at me, "I'm going to North Carolina tomorrow morning; I'm working on this missing person case. You may have heard of him – Brandon Altsman?"

I smiled excitedly, throwing my arms around his neck and hugging him. He hugged me back, chuckling slightly.

"Thank you so much, Booth," I answered, pulling away from him and pecking him on the cheek, causing my face to instantly heat up – how could I have just done that?!, "I can't believe you're going. You don't know how much this means to me."

"Well, I figured Bones could use a little time with Sully," the way he said it left little room for the imagination about Brennan's and Sully's relationship, "and I didn't want to see you so depressed anymore."

My heart leapt and I could feel my face heating up as I smiled, "That's sweet."

He shrugged nonchalantly, though a grin began forming across his handsome face, "It's the least I could do. And, Cam said that I could borrow a squint, maybe two, for the case. Do you want to bring Hodgins or Zack?"

Again, I felt the overwhelming urge to hug him, but refrained, simply smiling excitedly, "I'm coming with you? Uh, we should probably bring Zack… he's much better in forensics than I am."

"You don't give yourself enough credit," Booth rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "all right; so let's go tell the little squint he's coming to North Carolina with us, and then head out for some early pie and brownies." His grin was contagious and, as we headed back to the lab, I reveled in the fact that he still hadn't removed his hand from my arm.

BOOTHBOOTHBOOTHBOOTH

Zack seemed slightly enthusiastic about coming with us to North Carolina – he wasn't overly emotional about much, so neither Booth nor I were offended or surprised.

I still couldn't get over the fact that he was going to all of this trouble just to make sure I wasn't depressed. My heart rate increased incredibly whenever I simply thought about Special Agent Seeley Booth. This man was quite simply the most amazing man I had ever met. He was so sweet and kind and willing to help.

I looked down at the box of information my uncle had left for me. I refused to believe that he was dead. It couldn't be true. If it was... I shook my head, returning my eyes to the box. Zack and I had quickly completed sorting it out. There were four separate stacks of data in the box now, carefully separated from each other. The first one was full of sheets of names. There had to be hundreds of names and somehow I had to find a connection between them all. The next was full of credit card receipts. Another was telephone numbers and then the last one was a virtual timeline of American history, kept in meticulously detailed, by the government it appeared.

I would have to look over these when I was much less distracted. I didn't know how that would be possible, seeing as I worked with Booth almost everyday.

_Speaking of…,_ I glanced at the clock. Smiling slightly, I threw my pen down, jumping to my feet. Time to head out for dessert with the FBI stud. Like he said, he arrived at my door at six o'clock, a grin already stretched across his handsome face.

"Ready?" he inquired, his chocolate eyes following me as I moved across the room, gathering my belongings.

I gave him an incredulous look, replying, "I've been ready for the last few hours. You don't promise me pie and brownies and expect me to just get back to work…" I wanted to add, _and spend time with you_, but obviously thought it safer to stick with food. I didn't know what he thought of me anyway.

He chuckled slightly and jerked his thumb to the door, "Let's get outta here, Kennie."

I smiled and followed him, locking the door to my small office, my uncle's box of information tucked securely under my arm. He put his hand on my lower back, as if to keep me safe from some unknown danger. I smiled softly to myself.

_**Well, I hope you all enjoyed it!! Ooooh road trip!! :D Please review!!**_

_**4everyoursx: **__Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it!!; __**Thumper5:**__ Thanks! I hope I'm writing Booth correctly and I'm so glad you like it so far!; __**witchbaby300:**__ thanks! I hope she does too! I can't wait for their first kiss either! I think I have the perfect opportunity for it! It __**may**__ have something to do with a beach… ;) lol; __**Sadie:**__ Haha a brownie pie would be delicious!! I'm more of a brownie person myself (chocolate = love, which is why in my Carlisle story his kisses taste like chocolate lol ;) ). I'm glad you're enjoying it and I hope he's alive too!! Lol!; __**Young Grasshopper:**__ Of course! I'm glad you like it so far! I hope I can keep up the suspense lol!; __**angelsgirl116: **__Thanks! I'm glad you like it and the Zack one! I love Zack! No way is that weird OR lame; that's exactly what I do too! That's why I love OC stories, because I can be the girl with the hot guys!! Lol; __**wild-in-spirit:**__ Haha, of course you can have one (or both) of them as a late Easter present! As long as I get them back at some point lol! I can't be without Booth for too long lol XD!! I'm glad you like it and I don't know if I could live without my writing skills, but I'm glad they're good enough for you to want them!! Thank you so much!! _


	5. Heading Off to NC

**Author's Note: I'm SOOO sorry it's been a while since I updated last! School was a killer and lately I haven't seem to have too much time on my hands! But there was a Bones marathon on yesterday and I just had to update! Happy late Memorial Day all!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bones but if I did, I would definitely own Booth and Zack!!**

Chapter Five:Heading Off to N.C.

_I smiled and followed him, locking the door to my small office, my uncle's box of information tucked securely under my arm. He put his hand on my lower back, as if to keep me safe from some unknown danger. I smiled softly to myself. _

Sitting in the booth across from Booth - I laughed at that but didn't tell him about my stupid pun - munching happily on half a slice of apple pie, half a slice of a triple chocolate brownie (we had split the desserts) and chocolate ice cream, I studied his face as he talked.

He was gorgeous, basically. With those smoldering chocolate colored eyes that crinkled in the corners when he smiled, that soft caring look that could turn into steel in the face of a murderer in an instant, don't even get me started on his body. I blushed slightly and smiled at him when he did.

"Were you even listening to me?" he chuckled good-naturedly, shoving a rather large piece of pie into his mouth.

_There go the corners of his eyes_, I thought to myself with a smile, before replying triumphantly, "You were saying that you were surprised that a museum would fire me for being under-qualified and that if you had half a mind you would go down and tell them to rehire me."

He grinned slightly and nodded, taking another bite, pointing his fork at me accusingly, "Exactly."

"Oh, so you don't want me working with you anymore?" I pouted, causing him to chuckle slightly, "I mean, jeez, you could have just said something if you didn't want me working with you anymore…"

"That's definitely not it," Booth replied, his dark eyes smoldering slightly as he looked at me, "not even close."

I flushed under his look, smiling slightly and poking at my food, "So, tell me about Parker; I haven't heard you talk about him too much."

"Parker?" Booth grinned slightly, "he's a great kid. He's five now; almost six. He stays with his mom most days, but I get to see him on holidays and weekends. Sometimes during the week if I'm lucky."

"Does he look like you at all?" I inquired with a sad smile; it was so unfair for Booth to only get to see his son once in a while. And if he looked like Booth… well, he would definitely be a heartbreaker when he grew up.

"Well, his hair is more like his mom's but he's got my eyes," Booth answered with an almost wistful smile, "he reaches my stomach now. Every time I see him, he gets… he gets a little bigger. He's growing up so fast… and I'm missing it."

I reached for his hand across the table and held onto it, hoping to offer him some comfort. There wasn't really anything I could say, so I hoped this would help. He smiled and took my hand, squeezing it slightly, an appreciative look in his smoldering eyes.

"So," Booth grinned suddenly, "brownies or pie?" I laughed, rolling my eyes good-naturedly; I knew this would come up.

BOOTHBOOTHBOOTHBOOTH

The next morning, I arrived at the Jeffersonian, a few bags packed in preparation for the trip. I was dressed, not in my typical squint uniform, but in a pair of white capris and an orangish-red tank top.

Hodgins let out a low whistle as he approached, grinning slightly. I laughed, as did Zack though he replied dryly, "Don't let Angela hear that, Hodgins."

"Don't let Angela hear what?" she inquired, exiting her studio area. She gave Hodgins a look as though she knew exactly what he had just done, earning him a slap in the back of the head.

Zack was by my side, two bags at his feet as well, in jeans and a t-shirt. He looked even younger than usual. Brennan and Cam had left their offices and were now waiting in the lobby for Booth.

"Hey Kennedie, can we talk to you for a second?" Angela smiled slightly, gesturing to herself, Cam, and Brennan. I looked at them suspiciously, but they all smiled back innocently. I followed them into Brennan's office and inquired, "What's up?"

"Well, just because Zackaroni's going to be there," Cam smirked slightly, "we're hoping that doesn't ruin your stay in the hotel…"

"With Booth," Angela added with a conspiratorial grin, "what are the sleeping arrangements by the way? Is it two rooms? Three? You're sharing a room with Booth, right? Tell me you are."

"I don't know," I answered honestly, blushing at the thought, "we didn't really discuss room plans or anything like that… I'll have to ask him when he gets here…" Why, oh why, did they have to be discussing my love life, or lack thereof?

"Well, knowing Booth, he's going to do the gentlemanly thing and give Kennedie her own room," Brennan stated - Angela looked crushed, "and he'll share a room with Zack."

"_Or_ he'll do the manly thing and kick Zack out of the room and share his with Kennedie," Cam smirked, "is there going to be a pool? Wait until you see him without a shirt, Kennedie. Soaked, swim trunks clinging…"

I couldn't have been more grateful for that _sexy_ mental image of Booth climbing out of a pool… _damn_, I thought with a dreamy sigh.

"Oh, he's so gorgeous," Angela sighed wistfully, "you're one lucky girl, Kennie."

"That I know, on both counts," I smiled slightly, looking out of the window to where Booth was standing… with Parker. Brow furrowed, I led the others out of the room.

I couldn't help but notice that Booth looked even more attractive - if that was humanly possible - with a child. He was messing up his hair, laughing at the look his son was shooting him. I had to physically stop walking before we even reached them as the image of Booth with a child hit me. It was almost as enticing as the image of him in the soaked swim trunks.

"Hi there Parker," Brennan smiled down at the young boy. He smiled charmingly and waved, almost embarrassed.

I knew it; he was going to be a heartbreaker. He was _adorable!!_ I smiled down at him and said, "Hi Parker, I'm Kennedie."

He regarded me and his eyes widened. He tugged on Booth's pantleg, causing him to grin and squat down as Parker whispered something in his ear. Hodgins and Angela must have heard because they both smiled immediately.

"Yeah, she is, isn't she?" Booth questioned, looking up at me with that smoldering look again. I flushed and smiled. I didn't miss the smiles widening on Hodgins and Angela's faces.

Booth stood and looked down at me, his head tilted to the side, "Hey, do you mind if Parker tags along? I mean, I figure one of us could stay with him at all times and we'd still be able to get all of our work done…"

"Of course," I smiled, crouching down until I was eye level with Parker, "I'd love for you to come with us, Parker! It'll be fun."

He smiled shyly and inquired, tilting his head to the side, "Kennedie isn't even a name, is it?"

"Parker," Booth scolded him but I laughed and replied, "Well, my parents kind of had a thing for naming their children after presidents; I have two brothers named Lincoln and McKinley… no joke."

Parker smiled up at me, his innocent eyes - almost reminding me of Zack's in that way - as he inquired, his nose wrinkling slightly, "Really?"

"Yep," I answered with a smile, standing and looking at the others, who all had odd looks on their faces. I shrugged slightly and laughed, "I don't know why either; _I _wouldn't name my kids after assassinated presidents…"

Booth looked at me with an indistinguishable look in his smoldering eyes. I smiled slightly and looked away, my heart racing. He was good at that.

"Well, let's head on out of here," Booth smiled slightly, taking Parker's hand in his and inclining his head to me, extending his arm out to me, "we're taking my SUV."

I accepted his arm and turned to the others. Wouldn't you know; they _all _had smug smiles on their faces. I flushed and smiled up at Booth. We all began to pick up bags, but seeing as Booth's arms were full, Hodgins grabbed a few and carried them behind us.

With one arm linked with Booth, and his other arm linked with Parker's, I laughed, "This reminds me of _the Wizard of Oz_." It was all I could do to keep from grabbing Zack's arm and dragging them all down the corridor singing, "we're off to see the wizard".

"I love that movie," Parker grinned brilliantly, exposing a few missing teeth.

"Me, too," I smiled, offering my hand to him. He accepted it and we did indeed race down the corridor belting out "we're off to see the wizard" at the top of our lungs.

I almost didn't hear Hodgins when he said, "She's something else, isn't she?" He said it, of course, with a smile and a sincere look in his eyes, so he never meant it in a mean way.

"Definitely," Booth replied, looking at Parker and I as the two of us laughed at the end of the hall, his eyes smoldering. Hearing this, I met his gaze and we shared a smile.

BOOTHBOOTHBOOTHBOOTHBOOTH

Well, I never would have believed it, seeing as Zack seemed so uncomfortable with people, but he got along _really _well with children. He and Parker sat in the back seat, coloring. Yes, Zack Addy, doctor of forensics and engineering, was coloring. I'd never seen a bigger smile on his face.

Booth and I sat in the front, casting continual glances behind us at Parker and Zack and then at each other. The glances at each other, I noticed happily, were smoldering and meaningful.

I caught Booth eyeing me for what seemed like the hundredth time - believe me, it wasn't getting anywhere near old - and stated, "You know when we get down there, I don't think my mom is going to let us stay in a hotel…"

"No?" Booth inquired, his head cocked to the side, a frown tugging on his delectable lips, "I don't really want to impose on her like that…"

"Don't worry," I laughed, "it's not imposing. My mom would kill me, I think probably literally, if we didn't stay at her house. And if things get too dangerous, she'll look after Parker, that's almost a given."

Booth raised his eyebrows and sent me a small smile, "I really don't want to ask her to do something like that…"

"Booth, if you don't want another murder to solve, I suggest you take my mother's offer," I laughed slightly, smiling up at him. God, I couldn't help but smile when I looked up into his gorgeous face.

"All right, when we get down there, we'll stay with your mom," Booth answered, his eyes sparkling with amusement, though his voice was completely serious, "that's one murder I couldn't handle."

My heart skipped a beat and I smiled. I reached over and took his hand from the arm rest, squeezing it slightly. He responded by squeezing it back. When I looked up into his eyes, I couldn't help but notice how they smoldered when he looked at me.

Zack let out a slight laugh and we both looked back at him. Face flushed, I inquired, "What's so funny, Zack?"

"Something Parker said," he replied, a smile on his face as Parker continued to whisper into Zack's ear, pointing at his father and I. I bit my lip and let go of Booth's hand, thoroughly embarrassed at what Zack and Parker could have been discussing, but he picked it back up and continued to drive. Even though he didn't meet my quizzical look, a slight smile danced across his lips, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he did so.

"Daddy," Parker piped up from the back seat, his voice carrying that whining tone children always had when they were trying to weasel something out of their parents. I knew that tone well.

"What is it, bud?" Booth inquired, passing a rest stop, speeding down the highway.

"I have to go to the bathroom," Parker replied, bouncing slightly in his seat. Zack and I exchanged amused looks as Booth let out an exasperated sigh.

"Hold on, buddy," Booth sighed, casting me a sidelong 'I thought you were on my side, Kennie' look. I just gave him an innocent smile, biting my lip at his adorable pout.

This was going to be a long ride.

_**Thanks again for reading peeps! You guys are awesome! Please review!! :D Oh by they way, can't you just picture Booth in swim trunks, climbing out of a pool, heading your way as you wait for him in the hot tub? Cuz that's definitely what I'm picturing right now! Whooo! He can come into a hot tub with me ANYDAY! Oh, please tell me you've all seen the picture of David Boreanaz in a bathtub! It's freaking AMAZING! :D**_

_**Witchbaby300: **__Yeppers!! Haha yes, they'll definitely get some alone time, even with Zack and Parker in tow!; __**wild-in-spirit:**__ Haha well thank you! I love Booth!!! And for Memorial Day (even though it was yesterday) you may have Booth and I'll take Zack!! I'm glad you liked it!; __**4everyoursx:**__ Thank you so much! I love Booth too! And Zack deserves another close friend!! I'm glad you like it!; __**Whoopsydaisy: **__Thanks so much! I'm glad you like Booth in this and I hope you enjoy this chapter!; __**Thumper5:**__ Thank you so much! I'm so glad!! :D_


	6. Warped Functionality

Sorry! I know I haven't updated in such a long time but I've been busier than ever before! I have a nice little gap, though, in my schedule so I'm going to try and update a bunch of stories!! Oh man, by the way, my older brother met Eric Millegan (aka Zack) at a DVD/picture signing in Cuyahoga Falls a few weeks ago! I forced him to go since I wasn't there and we got an autograph!! =)

Disclaimer: I do not own _Bones!!_ If I did, oh man, David Boreanaz would be mine!!

Chapter Six: Warped Functionality

"_I have to go to the bathroom," Parker replied, bouncing slightly in his seat. Zack and I exchanged amused looks as Booth let out an exasperated sigh._

"_Hold on, buddy," Booth sighed, casting me a sidelong 'I thought you were on my side, Kennie' look. I just gave him an innocent smile, biting my lip at his adorable pout._

_This was going to be a long ride._

With all of the frequent rest stops – imagine my embarrassment when _I _had to ask Booth to hit the next rest stop because I couldn't hold it any longer – it took nearly twice the time to get to North Carolina than it normally would.

My excitement grew the closer we got to my hometown; the various sites and landmarks we were passing became more and more familiar. Zack and Parker had long deserted their coloring and were now mimicking me, studying the scenery in fascination.

I have to say, it was an interesting car ride. Parker would come up with the most off-the-wall questions and Zack, being Zack, would explain the answer in a way no five year old (or myself half the time) could possibly understand. Booth would then respond in his typically annoyed fashion (he seemed to get that way a lot around Zack) about how he was going to ruin Parker's self-esteem. This hurt Zack's feelings – though he wouldn't say it, it was obvious by the dejected look on his face – and quieted him for quite some time. Parker would come to Zack's rescue, having seemingly become attached to the young genius during their coloring bonding time, and this would hurt Booth's feelings. Thus, I had to get involved and calm all parties, something I was entirely used to with my own family.

Finally, _finally_, Booth pulled into Raleigh and I couldn't help but smile nostalgically. I was practically plastered to the window like a little girl in a new place, staring at everything and anything.

"So your mom lives fifteen minutes outside of town?" Booth inquired, sending me a sidelong smile, "I just follow this road, right?"

I nodded, smiling brightly, "Yeah; it's a huge farmhouse. It'll be on my side." I turned around in my seat and smiled at the thoroughly bored looking Parker, "Hey, Park, I need your help."

He sat up, his eyes sparkling suddenly with interest. He cocked his head to the left, something I noticed Booth do occasionally, and inquired excitedly, "What?"

"Okay, I need you to help me look for my house," I answered, raising an eyebrow in amusement at his enthusiasm, "it's really big, and it's white. The roof is gray and there's a _huge_ porch in the front. There should be a few horses in the yard. Can you help me out?"

Parker nodded zealously, pressing his face against the glass, his eyes darting around and taking in the sights with renewed interest. I smiled and settled back into my seat, sending Zack an amused smirk as I did. He was grinning slightly, watching Parker fondly.

When I glanced over at Booth, he had a strange gleam in his eyes as a small smile formed on his face. At my questioning look, he stated quietly, "Thanks; that should keep him interested for the rest of the trip. He's not used to riding in a car this long."

"He's like most kids, then," I laughed slightly, "long trips get boring for anyone, especially kids."

"I don't think it's been that boring," Booth stated quietly.

My heart skipped a beat and I stated honestly, smiling slightly, "Me either."

BOOTHBOOTHBOOTHBOOTH

Parker's shouts of joy immediately caught all of our attention, causing us to look to the right. I smiled brightly, overjoyed at seeing my family's home sitting welcomingly at the top of the hill, surrounded charmingly by a variety of tall, old trees. Booth let out a low whistle, impressed with the size of the place.

"Wow! Look all of the horses, Daddy!" Parker grinned, practically bouncing in his seat.

"Yeah, I see 'em, buddy," Booth stated, pulling into the long dirt driveway, startling a few of the nearby horses.

"It reminds me of my aunt's home in Michigan," Zack stated, a slight reminiscent smile on his face, "except for the horses. She had cows…"

I saw several people standing near the front porch and my heart swelled with happiness. I could tell exactly who they were even from here. My mother's silver hair sparkled in the afternoon sun as she sat on the porch with my aunt, my uncle grilling nearby. My younger brother was beside my mother, his laptop perched on his lap as he typed away. My two younger cousins were relaxing on the porch near my aunt and mother, playing with what looked like a tiny puppy.

I jumped out of the SUV before Booth came to a stop, running toward them and yelling, "Mon amis!"

They spun around and before I knew it, three bodies were flying toward me. My little brother Lincoln caught me first, picking me up and swinging me around easily. I laughed when he set me down and hugged and kissed my mother. I hugged my aunt, uncle, and cousins hurriedly, beaming.

"Kennedie, _what_ in God's name are you doing here?!" my mother exclaimed, smiling broadly, "shouldn't you be in D.C.?"

"Well, I'm here with…" Should I call Booth my friend? He meant so much more to me than that, but we were only friends. "…Agent Booth, from the FBI. He was nice enough to check out the missing person's report on Uncle Brandon."

They all looked back at the SUV, where Booth was helping Parker out of his seat and Zack stood awkwardly to the side.

"Agent Booth being the tall, dark, and handsome one in the tight jeans and t-shirt?" my mother inquired with a knowing look.

"Yeah," I answered with a smile, casting a fond glance back, my face flushing slightly, as I watched him take Parker's hand protectively – even though there was nothing in the vicinity aside from a large tomcat – and slip his sunglasses off, shoving them into his pocket.

"Interesting…," Mom smirked, an intrigued twinkle in her chocolate eyes.

"Dang, he's hot, Ken," my twenty year old cousin Jenni, a miniature copy of myself (though she was taller than me now) with ash blonde hair, stared at him – ogled was more like it.

I nodded, smiling, watching as her eyes then landed on Zack. Her smile broadened slightly and I raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

Zack followed Booth quickly, staying behind him in efforts to remain hidden – much like Parker was right now. They came up to the seven of us, Booth taking his place beside me, his arm brushing mine, while Zack and Parker stood back, looking uncomfortable.

"Hello," Booth grinned broadly, his eyes moving from me to my family and then back, an indiscernible look in his warm dark eyes. The look, however, was one that sent pleasurable chills down my spine.

Mom's eyebrows were set high on her forehead and an amused smile played on her face, mirrored by her sister and my cousins. I felt the urge to gulp in fear; they had that look on their faces that said '_what's going on HERE??'___and I knew they would pounce on it the minute they had a chance.

"Guys, this is my family – my mom, Charlotte, my aunt Crysta, my uncle Allen, my little brother Lincoln, and my cousins Jenni and Anne," I stated, mainly addressing Booth, since he was taking the friendly initiative, "guys, this is Special Agent Seeley Booth with the FBI…," I cast Lincoln a warning look as he snickered at Booth's first name, "my co-worker Dr. Zack Addy, and Booth's son Parker."

Booth immediately shook their hands, while Zack and Parker just hung back, waving slightly, nervous looks on their faces. I almost laughed as I watched Zack react – standing beside Parker, the look of trepidation at social interaction playing on his young face, it was hard to believe that he stood beside me every day in the lab doing the kind of work he did.

"It's so sweet of you to offer to look for Kennedie's uncle, Agent Booth," Mom stated, raising an eyebrow at him as she hugged Parker tightly.

"It's no problem, Mrs. Altsman," Booth answered, grinning broadly and draping his long, strong arm around my shoulders – this simple gesture shouldn't have affected me so much, but a shiver of pleasure trailed down my spine from his contact, "we all wanted to help Kennie find her uncle; I was just the one with the resources."

Mom straightened up, taking Parker's hand and leading him to the porch, but not before sending me a surprised, pleased look that said _' 'Kennie'? He's calling you __**Kennie**__?' _I shook my head, rolling my eyes.

We all took off after my mom and Parker, Zack trailing awkwardly behind us all. Uncle Allen was giving Booth the 'uncle-sizing-up-potential-boyfriend-material-for-niece' look, his sparkling, sky blue eyes narrowed as he observed the lack of space between our bodies. If Booth noticed it, then he was trying to get my uncle riled up (I would have been annoyed if it was anyone other than Booth), because his arm tightened around me, erasing a little more distance between the two of us. I could feel his heart beating steadily, strongly, against my shoulder, causing my own heart to race erratically. I blinked slightly and fought the urge to smirk as my mischievous side decided to rear its head.

I slowly took my arm that was resting awkwardly between us and wrapped it around his lower back. I felt the muscles beneath my fingers tense slightly in surprise, before he relaxed against me. Thus, any remaining space between the two of us was lost. I could feel his eyes watching me intensely, but I just smirked to myself and turned to Lincoln.

The twenty-three year old was regarding us curiously, his hazel eyes flicking from us to Parker and back. He was obviously trying to figure out the relation between us and how it related to Booth having a son.

I was very good at reading my family.

"You guys hungry?" Uncle Allen inquired, his tone slightly hardened by Booth's proximity to me. I gave him a pleading look, hoping he'd be polite to Booth for our stay.

"Starved," I stated, smiling brightly, leading Booth and Zack onto the porch. I laughed, seeing as Mom had settled Parker in a chair, promising to bring him something to drink and to play with.

Lincoln picked up his laptop, tapping a few keys in annoyance, frowning.

"Col, maybe Zack could help you fix it," I stated, knowing he had been having computer troubles, "he's a genius, too. Gotta be fixable with two geniuses, right?"

Zack sat beside Lincoln and the two immediately began to sort out the computer's issues. I smirked as I watched Jenni's hazelnut eyes follow Zack's moves with interest. Oh, she was _so_ getting talked to about that!

"Kennie, come help me find something for Parker to play with," Mom was grinning maniacally, which meant her statement really said, '_come inside so I can drill you about Booth'._ I laughed slightly to myself – I was lucky enough to be best friends with my mother, so this wasn't an unusual thing to be doing.

"Sure, Mom," I smiled.

She hurried into the house, followed by Aunt Crysta, Jenni, and Anne. I turned, looking up into Booth's handsome face. He was looking after my mom with a slight, amused smile and I was pretty sure he knew that she wasn't as innocent as she seemed. He looked down at me, his gaze turning intense and that sexy smirk growing on his face.

"I'll be back," I stated with a slight smile, "when they want to talk, they want to talk. But I'll find something for Parker in the meantime."

Booth grinned, his lips hovering closely near my forehead. My breathing hitched and he blinked slightly, as if remembering where he was and who was around. He squeezed my shoulders and slowly let go of me. I immediately missed his warmth, even though it was a nice, sunny day. I let go of his waist and he stated huskily, "I'll be here."

I nodded, biting my lip, and headed inside the house. I took a deep breath, both to clear my thoughts of Booth's intense sexiness and to breathe in the smell of home. Anne was missing from the living room – I assumed Mom sent her to the basement to find something for Parker.

Jenni, Aunt Crysta, and my mother were staring at me with such smug looks, I really wanted to slap them (good-naturedly, of course). Jenni grabbed my arm and dragged me to the couch, shoving me into the seat and then sitting across from me.

"This reminds me of an intervention," I stated jokingly, scratching the back of my neck as they all eyed me, amused.

"So, how long have you known Special Agent Seeley Booth?" Aunt Crysta inquired slyly.

"Not too long," I answered honestly, "but we've gotten pretty close."

"Pretty close as in…?" Mom winked suggestively.

"No," I blushed, closing my eyes and wishing we _had_ gotten that close, "no, nothing like that. We aren't dating."

"You aren't?" Jenni inquired, surprised, "sure looked that way. The way his strong, muscular arm was holding you…" She sighed dreamily, her eyes straying to the window, where I figured she could see Zack. Like I said, I was good at reading my family.

"Oh believe me, his strong muscular arm did _not _go unnoticed by me," I stated, smiling sheepishly, "I think he may be ticklish."

They giggled like school girls and I was so glad to be home.

_**Yeah, stupid ending lol! Anywho, I hope you enjoyed. So; should Kennedie and Booth share a room?? ;] Or the barn? XD lololol; PLEASE REVIEW!! =) I promise fluffy goodness will ensue soon!! And what do we think of Jenni/Zack?? Should it happen?**_

_**Terra7: **__Well thanks! It was kind of daunting to take on the challenge. As for the Mary Sue thing, most of my characters seem to turn out that way. I just go with it. She's by no means perfect; just normal. If I took the quiz, I assume she would be a mary sue; __**Thumper5: **__Thanks so much! I'm sorry I didn't get to update quite as much… I feel mean! But I hope you like the chappie; __**4everyoursX: **__Thanks so much! I'm so glad you liked it! Haha I still run down the street singing the Wizard of Oz and I'm twenty lol! It never gets old. Haha oh yeah, he'll be in swimming trunks soon… or less ;] ; __**angelsgirl116: **__Thank you so much! Yeah, Zack would be picked on so much! Haha yeah, but now I'm back in college! I'm sorry it took so long to update and congrats on graduating!; __**wild-in-spirit:**__ Haha you're welcome! Yeah, Booth and Zack in the same story make such a wonderful addition!; __**Whoospydaisy: **__Thanks so much! I'm glad you like the characters!; __**BettyBoop333: **__I'm so glad you like it! Haha is it really the only Booth/OC??; __**idntlikeurpants: **__Haha yeppers! I'm so glad you like it! Thanks for reading!; __**Nelle07: **__Thanks so much!! =) ; __**Taylor: **__Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like it and I really appreciate the comment!!; __**Mina Asukira: **__Thanks so much!; __**MrsNathalieHarkness: **__Haha I'm sorry it took so long to update!! I hope you liked the chappie!_


	7. News

Hey everyone! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while! I've been super busy with work and writing my own novels. Speaking of, I need to do a little self-promotion! I have written and published an ebook on Kindle called Running. It's a paranormal romance set in Gettysburg, PA. The main character is a medium on the run from killers who she helped put behind bars. If you like my style and want to help support a fledgling author, please check out Amazon and search for the author Cara McKay and the title "Running". It will soon be available for Nooks and other e-readers. Please check it out and let me know how you like it! I'll put the URL on my homepage for those who want it =D

And hopefully I can update this soon!

Thanks a bunch!

~Lift the Wings


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